Saturday (February 11) is the Feast Day of Our Lady of Lourdes. Below, Father Steve reflects upon the apparition of Our Lady to the young St. Bernadette and the symbolic nature of the healing waters of Lourdes. In addition, the WOF Blog features the photo and video gallery of the CATHOLICISM filming trip to this beloved pilgrimage site as well as an extended excerpt from Episode 4 of the series.
The Book of Genesis testifies that the Garden of Paradise was sustained by a “stream welling up out of the earth that was watering the surface of the ground.” These words recall for me not only the mysterious event of creation, but another supernatural intervention that changed the life of an impoverished girl from a small town nestled in the foothills of the Pyrenees in France.
In the year 1858 in a provincial village called Lourdes, Bernadette Soubirous claimed to have seen a woman of unearthly beauty and uncanny grace. Bernadette’s claims were made all the more striking, if not bizarre, by the fact that this cultured lady appeared to her in what was then the town garbage dump- a cave known as the grotto of Massiebielle...
Happy 4th of July! Today, the WOF Blog features Father Barron's commentary on Independence Day and the dangers of idolizing freedom. Watch the video here.
Today is the Feast Day of Our Lady of Lourdes. Below, Father Steve reflects upon the apparition of Our Lady to the young St. Bernadette and the symbolic nature of the healing waters of Lourdes. In addition, the WOF Blog features the photo and video gallery of the CATHOLICISM filming trip to this beloved pilgrimage site.
The Book of Genesis testifies that the Garden of Paradise was sustained by a “stream welling up out of the earth that was watering the surface of the ground.” These words recall for me not only the mysterious event of creation, but another supernatural intervention that changed the life of an impoverished girl from a small town nestled in the foothills of the Pyrenees in France.
In the year 1858 in a provincial village called Lourdes, Bernadette Soubirous claimed to have seen a woman of unearthly beauty and uncanny grace. Bernadette’s claims were made all the more striking, if not bizarre, by the fact that this cultured lady appeared to her in what was then the town garbage dump- a cave known as the grotto of Massiebielle...

Today is a great day for the Church in general and for the Word on Fire office in particular: the Feast day of St. Therese of Lisieux, one of the great patrons of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries!
Here, Word on Fire staff members Nancy Ross and Diane Archibald offer their Virtual Pilgrimage journal entry from their time in Lisieux, France, filming for the
Catholicism series. Read about their experiences in St. Therese's home town to understand more fully the special role of this powerful figure in the work and ministry of Word on Fire...